From strolls through the flowers to yoga in the field, masterclasses and a design competition, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the Dahlicious Festival, which runs until 31 March.  

“We do a flow class (yoga) in the morning with just the noise of the birds and maybe the occasional roo. You look out onto the truffle farm that’s next door, an orchid and trees, you’re in Canberra but it feels like you’re miles from anything,” says Brian Tunks, creative director and accidental gardener at Bison Home.

Inspired by the desire to share design expertise with the broader community, Mr Tunk launched the Dahlicious Festival, a space for those interested in styling to have fun while learning. Some experiences are complimentary, others have an attached cost.

“It’s not an intense thing, it’s about sharing the experience, opening yourself up to working with other designers, other growers, people who want to create something,” he says.

Working in design and retailing for many years, Mr Tunks has developed lifelong friendships and connections with creatives who work with some of the biggest names in the business.

“I got Jo Neville and she does windows and events for people like Louis Vuitton, and Tifanny, she’s done bits for Baz Luhrmann. I thought why not bring these people to Canberra?” he smiles.

Upcoming masterclasses include a fragrance and candle-making workshop with Lucian Candles and a styling competition judged by Patty Huntington from Harpers Bazaar. Local Canberra stylists extraordinaire Urban Jungle will instruct on how to create incredible displays in the take-home bison vases.

“People instinctively know what they like but they quite often struggle between the translation between what they like and how they want to show it,” says Mr Tunks.

Classes and tours are restricted to people over the age of 18 due to the natural elements of the fields and legalities. On Wednesdays and Sundays, you can stroll through the garden and fill a bucket to take home a selection of flowers of your favourite colours.

“We come down in the morning, we cut and then we sit at Pialligo Bakesmith and have a coffee. We talk about the process, how to cut, not damage the plants and how to be respectful. These are living things that will give you great beauty and great joy.”

Styling meets food in a special event on Easter Saturday with Diana Chan, winner of MasterChef in 2017.

“You can style your Easter table and make two dishes- savoury and sweet without any cooking, so you look fabulous but it’s minimal effort and super chic” says Mr Tunks.

Dahlias remind Mr Tunks of times spent in the Blue Mountains with his grandparents when he was young, wanting to capture the memory he started planting his own. Starting with a handful of plants in his backyard around six years ago, Mr Tunks learned through trial and error how to get his dahlias to bloom.

“I remember the beauty of these things and how people used to love them, but they were seen as a bit ‘nana’ which was also seen as a negative, but I don’t see it that way,” he says.

The flowers are also a form of connection with a widespread community of growers sharing their tips on growing and sectioning plants. At the end of each growing season, growers dig-up and divide their tubers ready for planting next season, they also sell and share within the community.

“We started selling those and then we met other growers and then we met a whole lot of other people that have become our supporters and vice versa. It’s not a dog-eat-dog sort of community, it’s a pretty supportive crowd.”

The blooms were used in Bison Home to style vases, however, Mr Tunks soon found out that when someone bought the vase, they wanted the dahlias too. The more he planted and placed in vases, the more the demand grew.

Mr Tunks had a dahlia patch on Pialligo Estate where he learnt some tips and tricks from the gardeners on the grounds. After the Estate closed, he relocated to The Commons on Beltana Road, Pialligo.

“We sell fresh flowers every day, we style our stores up, so we fill the vases with flowers, its such a calming space to go into. Then I go and eat an obscene amount of sweet treats at Pialligo Bakesmith or visit Chris at Pink Flamingo. It is a nice community of people and we all get on really well,” says Mr Tunks.

There are big plans in store for The Commons, Mr Tunks says over the next six month they will be making some massive changes. Together with the other businesses on the ground, Mr Tunks envisions the space to be one of community.

“There are people in the community that love design but they know of these people and suddenly they get to meet them … I want it to be part of a community, to share that with people, watch them smile when they come in. Bring my puppies to work, people don’t come to see me, they come to see the dogs and just have a bit of fun.”

Having a rough year with his mental health last year, Mr Tunks used the creativity that he pours into his business and the dahlias as a way to disconnect. Speaking to other men around his age, he says they were never taught to articulate their feelings, so they’ve had to find peace on their own. Mr Tunks envisions The Commons as a peaceful place for all that come.

“I want this to be an experience for people coming through, you can shop online if that’s all you want, I want people to come here and go ‘This is want Pialligo is about’. It’s this tiny little neck of the woods, 10 minutes from civic and a million miles from care.”

The Dahlicious Festival runs at The Commons at Pialligo until 31 March, for more details visit; bisonhome.com